Leavey School of Business News Blog

Business Today

SCU School of Business Hosts Venture Capital Investment Competition

Monday, Feb. 4, 2008

SANTA CLARA, CA - February 4, 2008 The MBA Entrepreneurs' Connection at the Leavey School of Business will host the 11th Annual Venture Capital Investment Competition Feb. 8. Santa Clara University is one of six universities participating in the Silicon Valley Regional Competition, an event that more closely resembles March Madness than a business school competition. Other schools competing include: University of Southern California; UC Irvine: Brigham Young University; University of San Francisco; and University of Washington.

"This competition is a win-win for everybody. The students get an opportunity to interact with venture capitalists and entrepreneurs while looking at real business plans. The entrepreneurs get confirmation for their business plans from top-class VCs. And VCs get an early peek at some viable deals and potential future employees," said Vinay Gaonkar, president of the MBA Entrepreneurs' Connection at Santa Clara.

The Venture Capital Investment Competition (VCIC) is the nation's premier strategy competition for venture-minded and entrepreneurial MBA students. This competition gives students from top business schools a real-world venture capitalist experience. Unlike business plan competitions, in which contestants pitch their own ideas to investors, students participating in the VCIC play the role of investors and review pitches presented by real entrepreneurs. Students learn, entrepreneurs can connect with investors, and venture capitalists preview new products and services, while also looking at potential employees.

How the competition works:
Each student team plays the role of a venture capital firm that must go through the entire investment process that real investors experience at VC firms. Entrepreneurs present their real business plans to the teams in a 10-minute pitch outlining their business visions. This role challenges the competing students to identify and analyze critical risks in the entrepreneurs' business plans. Winnters of the regional competition have the opportunity to compete in the international finals in April.

The MBA Entrepreneurs' Connection has invited a field of distinguished investors representing top-tier firms to be judges in the competition. "Being in Silicon Valley gives Santa Clara an edge when it comes to being connected with many prominent VCs," said Gaonkar.

About the MBA Entrepreneurs' Connection
SCU's MBA Entrepreneurs' Connection is one of the premiere graduate student organizations within the Leavey School of Business. The Entrepreneurs' Connection strives to bring entrepreneurial minded students, alumni, faculty, and industry partners together into an environment that educates, promotes, and fosters venture startup, growth, and exit activities driven out of the Santa Clara University community. More information can be found on the MBA Entrepreneurs' Connection website: www.scunetworks-mbaec.org

About the Leavey School of Business
The Leavey School of Business at Santa Clara University began in 1926, and was one of the first business schools in the country to receive national accreditation. Its undergraduate business program has been recognized as one of the top 30 in the nation, and its MBA program is ranked 12th in the nation among part-time graduate programs. More than 80 percent of its 1,200 MBA students are working professionals in Silicon Valley.